President backs Ohryzko, Korol

He would ask parliament again to approve their candidacies

Victor Yushchenko told reporters in Simferopol on Thursday he would ask parliament again to approve Volodymyr Ohryzko as the country’s foreign minister and Viktor Korol as security chief, according to the President`s press-office.

“I will insist on these candidacies, although I will, no doubt, hold additional talks [with the parliamentary majority],” he said.

When asked how he felt about today’s vote to reject his nominees, the President said: “The President of Ukraine sees any disagreements, including those over constitutional powers, as misunderstandings disrupting stability of the Ukrainian nation and Ukraine. These are childish games. I am sure responsible political leaders do not behave like that.”

He said the vote would most probably undermine Ukraine’s international reputation.

“The chaos we have all seen since the constitutional changes were passed shows that the country has lost its institutional balances,” he said, complaining about “invasions in the fields the President is entitled to control.”

“I am sad about what happens in the Verkhovna Rada today,” he said.

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